Mumbai’s Royal Opera House is reborn

From operas to films to a long stretch of nothing to films again, the journey goes on

When it was inaugurated in 1911 by King George V, the Royal Opera House opened in a different city. It was a city where the well-heeled descended from horse-drawn carriages onto cobbled streets to watch live performances in baroque settings. The structure was built by Jahangir Karaka, who made his money in coal, and Calcutta-based entertainer Maurice Bandmann. It featured Minton floor tiles, cast iron balustrades and chandeliers donated by the pre-eminent Jewish family of the time–the Sassoons.

A painting depicting a day at the opera. Photo courtesy: Abha Narain Lambah

In the early 1920s, as movies became the primary form of entertainment, the Opera House turned into a cinema hall. Rafique Baghdadi, journalist and city historian, documents how a French production, Pathe, rented the hall to show films. And, “in May 1927, the first Indian demonstration of ‘Phonefilm’, a process that synchronised sound with picture, took place here”.

In addition to screening movies, the Royal Opera House also became a set for films. Take, for example, the song from Pyasa, ‘Yeh Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye To’, in which you can clearly see the intricate moulding on the interiors. Said Maharani Kumud Kumari of Gondol, whose family owns the property, “I remember going to the Opera House when I was young. Many of Prithviraj Kapoor’s dramas were staged there. Later on I watched so many movies there – Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Awara.” Echoed Her Highness Hansa Devi of Ajaigarh, first cousins with the Maharaja of Gondol, “We used to go and see movies from the Royal Boxes, which were on the upper levels of the house.”

The central entrance to the auditorium from the foyer. Photo courtesy: Abha Narain Lambah

Nearly 15 years after they shut it in 2009, the Gondols hired conservation architect Abha Narain Lamba to restore the property to its former glory. “The biggest challenge was the structural restoration of the building. The vagaries of Bombay’s monsoons had taken their toll. Only in 2015 could she and her team finally begin “peeling off past layers and going to the original design”. Research by the late city historian Sharada Dwivedi helped, as did a German professor’s research on Maurice Bandmann. Said Lambah, “[the professor] gave us a lot of information, as well a photos of the building so we could see the original colour scheme and interiors.”

The interiors of the Royal Opera House. Photo courtesy: Abha Narain Lambah

The Royal Opera House now reopens with a film festival. The city is now named Mumbai, where horse drawn carriages and cobbled streets have given way to cars and paved roads. But the 500 people sitting in the Royal Opera House are sure to be transported to another era.

A view of the side boxes and the stage. Photo courtesy: Abha Narain Lambah